Halloween
by silent-five
Summary: Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called Halloween. All parts now posted!
1. Prologue

**TITLE;** Halloween (Prologue)

**AUTHOR;** Jessa

**RATING/GENRE;** K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

**FANDOM/PAIRING;** High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

**SUMMARY;** Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

**DISCLAIMER;** Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE;** This is fic is actually fully completed, I'm just spacing out the posting of chapters. Just thought I'd let you know that you won't be left hanging for once!

* * *

"For the last time," Troy adamantly told his friends as they sat around the lunch table. "I'm not going to that dance. I don't believe in Halloween." 

Gabriella rubbed his back good naturedly but wished deep down that he would change his mind. It just wouldn't be as much fun without him there. Still, she didn't want to make him feel bad. Surely he had his reasons for his stance on Halloween.

Sharpay, on the other hand, rolled her eyes unsympathetically, looking utterly exasperated. "How can you not believe in Halloween? That's so stupid."

Zeke nodded his head and took a bite out of the intricate sandwich he'd brought for lunch. Through a mouthful of food, he added, "It's the last time we'll be able to dress up without looking like idiots. Next year we'll be graduated and dressing up on Halloween will no longer be cool."

Troy's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "It's cool now?"

Zeke shrugged the question off and took another bite.

"What's everyone dressing up as, anyways?" Chad asked the table, the sound of childish excitement in his voice. "I'm going as a soldier. It's bound to be badass. I've got a plastic machine gun and everything."

"Gabs and I went and got our costumes yesterday at this new place in town. It's cool that they opened just a week before Halloween," Taylor said.

"Yeah, that's where Jason and me got our costumes," Zeke told them.

Kelsi chimed in as well. "Me too!"

"What costumes did you get?" Chad repeated. "Something revealing?" he added hopefully, eyeing his girlfriend with appreciation. She smacked him in the arm, although there was a grin on her face.

"Well, we figured that Halloween is about being something you're not so we tried to get costumes that were the complete opposite of us," Taylor informed them all proudly. She and Gabriella exchanged girlish looks.

"Interesting," Sharpay said. "What did you girls come up with?"

"Yes, tell us, exactly how does one dress up like a bitch and a slobbering idiot?" Chad asked.

"They had Sharpay and Chad outfits there? Wow!" Jason threw in so cluelessly that the two people in question didn't have the heart to be annoyed with him. Sharpay even made a face like she was considering his comment and then nodded in acceptance. Everyone else laughed once they realized that she wasn't going to flip her lid.

Moving on, Gabriella said, "Tay got a cheerleading uniform to wear." Ignoring Chad's victorious arm pump, she continued. "And I'm suiting up like a gothic rocker chick!" She seemed excited about it, which made Troy lighten up enough to crack a genuine smile.

"Okay, Tay's cheerleader thing I can see but, a rocker? That's the best you could do? You can sing, Gabs," Chad pointed out.

"I was thinking more about the drunk and disorderly bit. You know, throwing TVs out windows and stuff 'cause I've never done that," she replied before turning the attention away from herself. "How about everyone else?"

Sharpay, not surprisingly, took the floor. "A princess! I had the dress made by hand in Paris and flown in."

"Didn't you go to last year's dance as a princess too?" Taylor questioned, her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember clearly.

"And the year before that?" Chad said.

Sharpay bitingly replied, "And it never gets any less fun. How 'bout that!"

"I've got the sweetest little fairy costume," Kelsi said before a fight could break out. The girls all 'awwwed'. If anyone could pull off that outfit, it would've been Kelsi.

Jason gave her a peck on the cheek for her adorable choice before saying, "Zeke and I are going as the Men in Black. Sweet, huh?" There were high fives all around from the guys as the girls laughed.

"Feeling left out enough to come with us, Troy?" Chad pressed. Troy gave him a look and Chad threw up his hands in frustration. "Gabs, could you please talk some sense into your man!"

Putting her hands, palms forward, in front of her, Gabriella said, "Uh uh, I'm not getting into this."

At that point, the bell chose to chime loudly, signalling the end of lunch and their carefree conversation. Saying their goodbyes, the group of friends split off into pairs and threes to get to their lockers and, eventually, their afternoon classes.

As usual, Gabriella went to her locker to get her books and wait for Troy so they could walk to Senior Calculus together. When she approached her locker, however, she found someone else waiting there for her.

It was no secret that Drew Janes, captain of the hockey team, wanted Gabriella in a big way. Ever since she'd started officially dating Troy, it became habit for him to ask her out once or twice a month, just to see if she'd ever change her mind. He was keen on the fact that it would piss Troy off -- the basketball and hockey players didn't really get along -- plus he just thought she was a hottie.

Today he was leaning leisurely against the row of lockers, leering in what she supposed he thought was a charming way. Gabriella sighed. She wasn't really in the mood to deal with such things.

"Hey there, Gabs," he said as she came up. "You're looking fine today, but that's to be expected."

"Thanks, Drew," she muttered, hoping it wouldn't give him the wrong impression but not wanting to be rude. "Excuse me; you're leaning on my locker."

"I'll move if you let me take you to the dance Friday night."

Exactly what Gabriella had been hoping to avoid. "In case you've forgotten," she replied, keeping herself poised. "I'm with Troy."

"Riiight. Bolton. I forgot about him," he drawled, although Gabriella was well aware of the fact that it was a complete lie. Drew would have had to be blind in order to miss the displays of affection that Troy and Gabriella were prone to around the school.

"Fortunately I haven't so, I'm sorry, but I'll have to pass," Gabriella said in a tone that was unusually frigid.

Drew looked ready to 'butter her up' some more, until a familiar voice came from behind him.

"You heard the lady. Now, get lost."

Gabriella had been so busy trying not to tell Drew where to go that she hadn't even noticed Troy melting through the throngs of students in the hallway. Drew grimaced in exaggerated annoyance and pushed himself away from the lockers.

Of course, he couldn't just leave. As he walked away, Drew called over his shoulder, "Think about it, Montez!"

Visibly shuddering from the entire unpleasant encounter, Gabriella turned towards Troy who was glaring after the hockey player he'd taken the place of venomously. "I'm really starting to lose my patience with that guy," he said thoughtfully.

"Forget about him," Gabriella replied, taking his hand. Finally, he tore his eyes away from Drew and focused his attention on the petite brunette in front on him.

"What did he say to you anyways?" he asked, unable to forget as easily as Gabriella wished he would.

She chose to humour him. "He asked me to the dance. I guess he couldn't go a month without bothering me." Troy frowned. "Hey. Are you okay?" Gabriella asked, searching his clouded blue eyes.

A sigh escaped his lips and he said, "Do you think he asked because he heard I wasn't going to the dance?"

To be honest, the thought had occurred to her, but the last thing Gabriella wanted to do was make him feel guilty. "I'm sure that has nothing to do with it... he's just being his same old creepy self."

"Yeah... maybe..." Troy replied, clearly not convinced. "Gabs, do you want me to go to this dance?" he asked.

Gabriella found it impossible to out-right lie to Troy but at the same time, if she said yes he'd probably go just for her sake and be miserable all night.

"I understand that you don't want to go," she settled for saying.

"That's not what I asked," he responded immediately. "Seriously. Just tell me."

Sensing that there was no way of getting out of it; Gabriella tried to find the most diplomatic way to tell the truth.

"I'd like it if you went, but not if it's going to make you unhappy. I don't wanna be Nazi-girlfriend."

This made Troy chuckle a little and she felt a bit better in turn. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he said.

"Just don't feel like you have to go because I want you to," she pleaded. "It's not like you have to worry about me running away with Drew Janes in your absence. I can handle myself."

"Fine, I promise I won't give in to your peer pressure," Troy joked, bringing her hand up to his lips so he could lay a little kiss on each fingertip. Gabriella blushed furiously. "Let's get to class, beautiful," he said when he was finished and together they traipsed off towards Calculus.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. Chapter I

**TITLE; **Halloween (Chapter I)

**AUTHOR;** Jessa

**RATING/GENRE;** K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

**FANDOM/PAIRING;** High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

**SUMMARY;** Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

**DISCLAIMER;** Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

* * *

Friday couldn't come fast enough for the students of East High, but when it finally arrived, there was an undeniable feeling of excitement in the air. Teachers distributed candy and treats in class, happy to have a day to slack off some. The sugar didn't help the general restlessness the students were all feeling but in almost every classroom, you could see students chowing down on something coated in it. The dance taking place in the gym that night was the only discussion to be heard. 

After school, a lot of students ran to the gym to put the last few touches on the decorations for the dance while others rushed home to get their costumes in order. Gabriella, Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi were all meeting up at Sharpay's after their dinners to get ready. One by one, they arrived with their attire on their arms and make-up and accessories in bags. Sharpay cranked the music in her room up and they scurried about, calling out to each other for opinions on their costumes and help with make-up and hair.

When all was said and done, Sharpay's room looked something like it would have if a hurricane had hit it, though the blond queen of drama seemed supremely unconcerned. She was too busy admiring how fabulous she looked in her dress. It was satin, pink, of course, and quite decadent. The top was corseted with white lace and pink ribbon. It flared out into a wide skirt at the hips and had a lace hem that just brushed the floor. Her hair was piled on top of her head in soft curls, a few of which she let frame her face. The sparkliest item in her varied tiara collection was perched on top of her flawless hair-do. Her make-up consisted of pink lip gloss and blush with some mascara and a touch of silver eye shadow. She carried a pink silk fan to complete the look. The other girls' jaws had hit the floor at the sight of her. She didn't kid around when it came to dressing up.

Taylor's costume was a little easier to deal with, although it looked so strange on her because the last thing either of them could imagine her as was a cheerleader, which was sort of the whole point.

"Now that's scary," Sharpay had quipped when she stepped out of the bathroom.

It was just a simple uniform, not the exact one East High cheerleaders wore, but pretty damn close as it was also red and white. Her hair was styled into two adorable pigtails and she had a huge wad of gum in her mouth that she blew into bubbles every few seconds. Gabriella especially had a laugh at her rather accurate impression of a bimbo.

Kelsi's costume had gotten the same reaction as Sharpay's, perhaps even stronger as they were less used to seeing her all done up. She was wearing a silver sequined dress that had a vintage feel to it. It was strapless with a ruffled skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her make-up was all sparkles and glitter, mostly silver to match her dress. Her hair was loosely curled like Sharpays and pinned back into a half-up. Completing the look -- wings and ballet flats, which she'd borrowed from Sharpay's huge shoe collection, that were a light purple. Her wand, with a large silver star on the top, was the only accessory she had or needed.

"You looking absolutely amazing, Kels," Gabriella told her. "Jason won't be able to talk for half the night after he sees it." She gave her shy friend an encouraging smile that was returned in volumes.

"You look great too," Kelsi told her.

Gabriella really liked her own costume. It felt good to experience a bit, okay, maybe more than a bit, of a change. It made her feel more confident.

Her attire showed off much more skin than usual, which was the only thing about her selection that made her feel uneasy. She wore a black mini-skirt over fishnet stockings and knee-high black leather boots. They were hard to walk in at first but Gabriella gradually got the hang of it, with a few pointers from Sharpay. More bracelets and armbands than she'd worn in her entire life, perhaps all combined, adorned her slim wrists. She worried briefly that a few of the ones with spiky metal parts would harm someone while she danced but eventually she got used to those too. She had chosen a worn black male's t-shirt for the top. It was ripped in a few places, but not inappropriately so, and had the arms cut off. There was a cracked and faded logo for the band Blue Oyster Cult splashed across the front. Her hair was a sexy, tousled mess that hung, without control, into her face. Lastly, she had black eyeliner blended thickly around her eyes, creating a dark, smouldering effect. All and all, she looked very hardcore. The other girls, mostly Sharpay, were shocked Gabriella Montez, very possibly the sweetest girl at East High, could pull the whole thing off.

"Honestly, Gabs. If I didn't already know it was you, I would never recognize you," Taylor said, astounded.

"You look really... sexy," Sharpay added.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Could you please try not to sound so surprised?"

Sharpay merely laughed and said, "It's almost seven-thirty. We should get going!"

With delighted squeals, the foursome tore from Sharpay's room to hop into her pink convertible. Sharpay blasted the music on her car stereo as well and peeled away from the curb.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the time the girls strolled into the gym, the dance was just getting into full swing. Most of their schoolmates had already arrived and the place was packed with bodies in ridiculous costumes, moving to the beat of the music from the sound system erected at the back of the room. A female DJ with one side of her headphones up to her ear was changing discs.

The gym itself was unrecognizable. The basketball nets and bleachers were pushed aside to make more room for Halloween hijinks. Gone was any sort of sports equipment. The walls were lined with black plastic, a task which must have taken forever, and orange and black streamers hung low from the ceiling. Cotton cobwebs had been stuck onto every available surface and hung in every doorway. A table of platter after platter of candy littered a long table on one of the side walls, also decorated festively in orange and black.

"Whoa," Gabriella exclaimed upon entering. The other girls seemed just as impressed.

"It looks ten times better than last year!" Kelsi said excitedly.

Taylor and Sharpay made noises of agreement.

"What's say we find the guys and get this party started!?" Sharpay squealed, grabbing onto Kelsi's wrist and yanking her into the crowd. Taylor and Gabriella shook their heads and followed, eyes scanning the masses for the familiar faces of their friends.

Gabriella nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand descended on her bare shoulder and she whirled around. Unfortunately, to her great dismay, Drew Janes, fully decked out as Dracula, stood behind her. His smile looked all the more lecherous when there were plastic fangs involved.

"Great costume," he said over the loud music, eyes raking over her in a way that made her wish she'd come dressed as a nun.

"Uh huh, thanks. I'm just looking for my friends. See ya!" she said. She was eager to not let him ruin her night. The whole point of going to the dance had been to enjoy it with her friends, after all.

Drew's hand didn't move from her shoulder. "Hey, hey. What's your hurry? It's not like Bolton's here to drag you away this time," he replied, sliming himself into her personal space. Gabriella could only imagine the expression of disgust she had on her face.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said someone off to the side. Both Drew and Gabriella's swivelled around instantly. Troy was a few feet away, gaining ground quickly, and he did not look happy.

"Troy!" she cried, relieved to see him there. A smiled flickered across his face, just for her, before it was replaced by rage again.

"How about you get your hand off my girlfriend and walk away?" Troy suggested to Drew, who seemed less than pleased by the repeat of Monday afternoon. Still, he did what Troy asked of him grudgingly.

After his eyes darted back and forth between Troy and Gabriella a few times, he turned on the heel of his fancy black shoes and stomped away, cape billowing behind him.

Once he was gone, Gabriella launched herself into Troy's arms. He gathered her up willingly, nuzzling his face into her hair.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked when they finally broke away from one another. "Not that I'm not glad to see you," she added for good measure. She was thrilled to see him, actually.

Troy grinned and replied, "I figured that if nothing else, it was a chance to spend some time with you." Gabriella beamed and leaned in to give him a kiss, which he happily returned.

Afterwards, Gabriella backed up a step or two so she could get a good look as his get-up -- a simple black tux. His brown hair was slicked to the side in a dashing manner, so dashing in fact, that Gabriella's breath hitched in her chest. He shoved his hands in his pockets and laughed nervously under her scrutiny.

"Wow," she said dreamily. "What are you supposed to be?"

He pulled one hand out of his pocket so that he could extend it in front of him for her to shake. "Bond. James Bond." Gabriella giggled and played along, shaking his hand. He didn't let go, however, instead pulling her to his side so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder.

"You look very hot tonight, Miss Montez, I must say," he whispered into her hair, some place near her ear. His hot breath made her shiver slightly.

"Ooooh, James Bond is my groupie!" she teased. Now that Troy was there, she was simply giddy. This night was going to be one for the year book, that's for sure.

"Let's go bump into people," Troy said and he and Gabriella wound their way back into the crowd.

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

All the windows in the shops on Main Street were dark, the shop owners having vacated them for the day, save for one. A faint, flickering light shone through the shop that was crowded with row upon row of costumes, just barely illuminating the odd array of colors and fabrics.

Tucked away near the back of the store where he wasn't visible from the street, Ethan Rayne was lighting the last of no fewer than thirty thick white candles. They were arranged in a large circle on the floor, outlining the edges of an ominous pentagram painted on the floor in some sort of red substance...

Once that last chore was done, Ethan sat himself in the middle of the symbol, sitting crossed-legged on the floor. He began muttering an incantation in a language long forgotten by the modern world and his eyes shut in concentration, though the words came to him with frightening ease.

Quite some time passed before the incantation was finished and Ethan was satisfied that the spell had worked out properly. When he finally opened his eyes again, a huge grin broke out across his face.

"Showtime." he said, laughing evilly to himself like any decent, and crazy, worshipper of chaos.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Chapter II

**TITLE;** Halloween (Chapter Two)

**AUTHOR;** Jessa

**RATING/GENRE;** K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

**FANDOM/PAIRING;** High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

**SUMMARY;** Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

**DISCLAIMER;** Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

* * *

Troy had to admit that he was having a good time at the dance. With Gabriella at his side, how could he have thought it would be anything else? He could barely take his eyes off her in her Halloween costume. Not that he wasn't attracted to her normally, but she was a vision of the delicious kind all done up like a rocker chick. 

She had to practically pry him off of her to get her some punch. Thankfully, Chad gave her a hand and offered to get one for Taylor as well. Both boys glanced over their shoulders to catch a parting shot of Gabriella and Taylor shimmying together on the floor. Chad was seriously enjoying Taylor in her cheerleading outfit, almost as much she was loving getting back at every cheerleader in school by acting like a bubble.

While Troy was filling a paper cup with fruit punch, praying no one had spiked it like last year, Sharpay stormed over to them. Apparently she wasn't having as good a time as they were.

"Something wrong, Sharpay?" Troy asked, putting the ladle gently back in the punch bowl.

Sharpay let out a huge shriek of anger.

"Is that a yes?"

Her head whipped around to glare at him for being glib. "Did you see Buffy Summers? She totally stole my costume idea!" she complained.

Troy's eyes scanned the gym and caught on a pretty blonde girl who just so happened to be wearing a dress very similar to Sharpay's. He knew Buffy by reputation, which wasn't all that great, but hadn't ever really talked to her. Gabriella had mentioned her once or twice, claiming that all the rumours about her were stupid. Buffy and Gabriella both had a habit of hanging out in the school library where they'd exchanged, according to Gabs, a few perfectly pleasant conversations.

"Yes, Shar. I'm sure she planned it all just to spite you," Chad said, sending Troy a look that clearly said 'girls.'. Troy shook his head at the pair of them.

Just then, the sound of a girl screaming her head off rose above the din of the music. More screams soon followed.

"What the...?" Chad said, his afro shaking violently as his eyes tried to locate the source of the disturbance.

Setting Gabriella's glass down, Troy joined him, but it was impossible to see anything with so many people in the way.

"I don't know," he mused. "Let's find Gabs and Taylor. I hope that's not either of them."

This was easier said than done, however, as many students were starting to panic. The three of them had to work together to force their way back to the dance floor where the boys had last seen their girlfriends.

In seconds, the dance had gone from warm, sweaty fun to complete chaos.

Thankfully, Taylor and Gabriella were exactly where they'd left them. Troy exhaled a worried breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding.

"Gabriella!" he called as he ran up to her, swooping her into a tight hug. He frantically gave her a visual once over, looking for some sign she'd been harmed. Luckily, he found none. Still, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Gabriella's head slowly rose so she could peer at him with glassy eyes. "Who the 'ell are you?" she said, her voice slurred.

Eyeing her with confusion and anxiety, he replied, "Troy... you know, your boyfriend?"

To his surprise, and further confusion, she roared with laughter. He had no idea what she could possibly find funny. He hoped to God it wasn't this I-don't-know-you joke she was pulling because he was way less than amused.

"Yooou? My boyfriend?" she repeated, making it sound like the most insane thing in the world.

Troy backed away from her a pace, his feelings taking a slight beating. "This really isn't the time to be kidding around," he said, gesturing to their classmates who were running around the gym like chickens without heads. Screaming still filled the air.

Gabriella stumbled towards him as if she were drunk, the expression on her face suddenly one of contempt. "You can't tell me what to do!" she yelled, jabbing a finger in front of his face. She held this position for a second, Troy watching her in shock, before she gave in to an extreme bout of laughter.

"Did you happen to get smashed in the two minutes that I was away?" he questioned, only half-joking. There was no way she could have managed it, but there was really no other explanation for her behaviour.

Forgetting entirely about being revolted by the information that they were dating, Gabriella clumsily gripped Troy's arm, leaning most of her weight onto him. "You're kinda cuuuute," she said, gazing up at his face with droopy eyes.

"Oh God," Troy said, chuckling briefly in spite of himself. "Chad!"

His friend appeared at his side with Taylor on his arm, who also seemed to be unharmed. Although, she was staring at the ceiling and applying a thick coat of lip gloss, oblivious to the mess around her. Chad's face looked very much like Troy imagined his own did -- confused.

"You alright, dude?" Troy asked him, still observing Taylor's strange behaviour. How much lip gloss did one person need?

"That depends..." Chad said, tilting his head pointedly in the direction of his girlfriend.

"I hear you," Troy replied and politely extricated Gabriella's arms from around his neck, which she was attempting to suck on, back to the safety of his arm. She pouted and swayed on the spot as if she'd just gotten a major head rush.

Chad watched her for a second, his eyes growing wide. "Is she _drunk_?" he asked, appalled.

"It would seem so," Troy answered. "But I don't know how or when she would have gotten drunk..."

"Oh. My. Gawd!" Taylor suddenly exclaimed. "Gabriella Montez is drunk!? And here everyone is thinking she's a little angel!!" She chomped on her gum a few times for effect as her three friends stared. The boys were dumbfounded while Gabriella just smiled stupidly.

"You shaaad up!" she bellowed at Taylor, flinging a hand in her direction.

"What the hell is going on!?" Chad wailed.

Out of nowhere, Jason and Zeke strutted over to them, looking very official in their sunglasses and suits. They were even holding themselves differently, standing more stiffly.

"We're trying to figure that out now, sir," Jason said in a deep, authorative voice. "I think it'd be best if you three just went on home and forgot this ever happened," Zeke added with a similar tone.

Sharpay was right on the two boys heels, looking very alarmed indeed. "Zeke! ZEKE!"

Zeke gave no response, something a wise person would not do. Sharpay's alarm turned on a dime to boiling anger. "What do you think you're doing!?" she shrieked. "Abandoning me when people are running around screaming! I could get trampled or kidnapped!!" She punched him in the arm but he didn't flinch.

"Ma'am, just try and calm down," Zeke said smoothly. "We're going to get everything under control."

"What!? We!? Who's we!?" she replied, eyes blazing. "Jason can barely use a can opener!! This whole secret agent act is really starting to get on my last nerve!"

With that comment, a light went on in Troy's head. "Wait..." he murmured, all the pieces falling into place."They're turning into their costumes!" he declared triumphantly.

"Excuuuse me?" Sharpay replied incredulously.

"Listen buddy... I'm no costume!" Gabriella proclaimed, though no one paid her much attention.

Troy searched the people around him, his fellow students, for evidence to support his theory and found it in spades. A junior whose name he couldn't remember had been dressed as a witch and was now flying above the crowd on a broom, cackling loudly. A real live zombie was ambling its way about, baring a striking resemblance to one of the guys on their basketball team. And that was just scratching the surface. Sharpay and Chad took in the scenery as well and found that Troy was correct -- at least half the school was becoming whatever they'd shown up to the dance as.

"Holy crap, you're right!" Chad cried. "What do we do?"

"I think the first step is to get out of here," Troy responded. It wouldn't do them much good to be stuck in the middle of so much madness, especially with monsters and the like in the mix.

As if on cue, Drew Janes, or rather Dracula, made himself known to the group. The plastic fangs he'd been wearing had morphed into real ones that glistened in the low light of the gym. They looked razor sharp, able to puncture human skin in a single bite. His eyes had turned deep burgundy, almost as if they were filled with the blood of his victims, and flared like a cat's when he turned his head a certain way.

"Well, that can't be good," Sharpay muttered when she saw him. He was swiftly making his way towards them, shoving ghouls and demons out of his way with terrifying strength. Troy noticed right away that Drew's eyes never wavered from the girl clutching his arm as she fought to keep herself upright. Drewcula was after Gabriella.

Troy held his girlfriend tighter to his side and whispered to his friends, "We've gotta go. Now."

The others didn't argue and Troy led the way towards the exit with Drewcula in close pursuit.

They were almost to the doors when Sharpay let out a gasp. "What about Kelsi?" she reminded them.

"Dammnit!" Chad cursed. "Where's the last place you saw her? Jason?"

Everyone looked questioningly at MIB number two, but he didn't seem to have any answers. His face remained a blank slate. "That's classified."

Sharpay groaned in frustration. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" she said. "You'd think getting turned into a secret agent would make the boy a bit more useful!"

Ignoring her insult, Troy attempted to think clearly. "Okay, she was dressed like a fairy, right?" Chad and Sharpay, being the only ones in their right minds, nodded. "Where would you go if you were a fairy?" he finished lamely.

"You'd be able to fly," Chad offered. The three of their eyes went skyward, feeling quite ridiculous but hoping to see their friend flying in the air above. Miraculously, she was there.

"I see her!" Sharpay said, pointing Kelsi out among about ten witches, two other fairies, one Superman and a dragon.

"Come on!" Troy said, taking off at a jog in Kelsi's direction. He was also keeping an eye out for Drew. They seemed to have lost him for the moment but Troy had no doubt he'd be back.

Gabriella had a hard time keeping up with everyone, seeing that she was not only still hammered but was also wearing really high heels. Somehow they made it to the floor below their friend unscathed.

"Kelsi!!" Sharpay shouted. Kelsi dipped down to flutter just above their heads.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" she asked in a serene but squeaky voice, as she was now about the size of Sharpay's head.

"Thank God you're okay!" Sharpay exclaimed. "You've gotta come with us!"

Kelsi shrugged her little shoulders. "If you wish it so, it shall be done," she said, waving her wand back and forth and causing it to emit silver sparks.

Sharpay had gotten over her relief very quickly and impatiently responded, "Yes! I wish! I wish it so! Now, can we please just go!?"

"I second that motion!" Chad said, grabbing Taylor's hand.

"Yeah, like, me too!" Taylor said through her wad of hubba bubba. "All this screaming is like totally giving me a headache."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You know, I hear a punch in the face clears that right up."

Taylor scoffed and gave her a look that could stop a charging bull in its tracks. It bounced right off the blond, of course.

"Are you two done?" Chad asked them.

"Whatever," they muttered in unison, similar sneers on their lips.

Troy took the lead once more; eager to get Gabriella out of harm's way as fast as he could. When they got to the gym's double doors, they discovered that they were locked and pretty much impenetrable.

"Fantastic," Troy said sarcastically. "That explains why no one's leaving the gym, not that that information helps us any."

"What do we do now!?" Sharpay whined.

"Step aside, ladies and gentlemen," Zeke said. The others had all but forgotten that Zeke and Jason were with them. Secret agents didn't really say much.

Zeke approached the door, Jason at his side, and took out some weird device. There was a tiny flash and he smirked, pulling the metal door open. He and Jason exchanged curt nods and exited the gym.

There was a small pause as the others absorbed what had just happened and then they followed the MIB's example. The corridor outside was deserted as no one else had been able to get the doors open, so they were able to move uninterrupted through the school, casting wary glances behind them every so often.

The front doors of the school offered no resistance and they spilled out into the night. The scene in the outside world was ten times worse than the situation in the gym. Stopping short, mere feet from the school, they took it in before heading straight back inside.

Sirens and screams pierced the night as several buildings close by were slowly burning to the ground. Gunshots could be heard in the distance. People ran by every few seconds, all of them being chased by more than one evil creature. The Wildcats would certainly be no safer outside than in.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter III

**TITLE;** Halloween (Chapter III)

**AUTHOR;** Jessa

**RATING/GENRE;** K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

**FANDOM/PAIRING;** High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

**SUMMARY;** Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

**DISCLAIMER;** Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

* * *

In the foyer, anyone who could still think straight regrouped. Planning became harder, however, when Gabriella started drunkenly belting out a classic rock song and haphazardly dancing about.

Sharpay pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Troy... could you please SHUT HER UP!?"

"Yah, that song is like so fifteen years ago," Taylor agreed, cocking her hip out as she twirled one of her piggy tails around her finger.

"You've heard of something besides Britney Spears? I'm shocked," Sharpay snapped.

"Can we focus please?" Troy interrupted, straining to be heard above Gabriella's singing. "And honey," he said, bringing her to a stop by laying an arm on her shoulders. "Can you please quiet down?"

Gabriella shook off his arm, which made her slightly unsteady. She blinked a couple times and slurred, "Whoa there, mate. Honeeey? What are we, married? I'm no one's ball chain... thingy!" Luckily Troy had distracted her long enough to make her forget about rocking out. Instead she went to go nudge Taylor's shoulder repeatedly. Taylor didn't enjoy this, needless to say.

"Gawd, what an annoying bitch!" Taylor shrieked after about the twentieth time, pushing Gabriella back. She tilted dangerously, almost falling on her behind. Her dazed smile was gone. She shoved Taylor in retaliation, much harder this time. Taylor actually did fall back on her ass while Gabriella stood over her, laughing like a hyena.

"Okay, that's it!"

With fire in her eyes, Taylor jumped up and was about to lay one on Gabriella's pretty mouth before Chad grabbed her around the waist.

"I don't think a catfight is what we need right now," he said.

Troy had to lunge forward and wrap his arms around Gabriella, pinning her flailing arms to her sides in order to prevent her from running at Taylor.

"Get the fuck ooooooofffffff," she wailed, struggling against him. After a few seconds, she gave up. He'd almost let her go out of surprise when she swore, something he'd never heard her do all throughout their relationship.

"Are you gonna behave now?" Chad asked Taylor, loosening his hold.

"Whatever," she replied and pushed herself entirely out of his arms, crossing her own arms over her chest and walking a few feet away to sulk.

"That's the spirit," he said with sarcastic cheer.

Instead of distancing herself from Troy when he let go, Gabriella turned and slid her arms around his neck. Her lips descended upon his and for a moment he forgot about their dire circumstances and gave into the instincts of his body. Only when Sharpay cleared her throat at a thunderous volume did he pull himself away.

"Do you really think this is the time for a make-out session?" she asked, one eyebrow arched in a way that made Troy's palms begin to sweat. As gently as he could, he detached Gabriella from his neck. She whimpered and pouted.

"I thought we were maaaaaaarried!" she whined.

Troy slapped his hands to his face. Through his fingers, he replied, "I love you, Gabs, but we're not married."

"Like that matters right now! We've got bigger fish to fry here, Bolton," Sharpay interjected.

"Okay, since you're so eager -- got any bright ideas as to how we're going to get out of this mess!?" Troy fired back, growing tired of Sharpay's attitude.

"If we find out a way to turn everyone back to normal, there won't be any problem, will there?" she retorted. "I know dating someone who's convinced they can't tell me their real name is going to grate on my nerves real fast."

"Yes, because dating the densest girl at East High is a gay romp," Chad replied off-hand.

Sharpay's eyes went towards the ceiling. "Like that's new for you? You dated half the cheerleading squad before you sank your claws into McKessie!"

Chad thought about this briefly and said, "Okay, yeah."

Taking advantage of the lull in their banter, Troy said, "We don't even know what caused this. How will we figure out how to change everyone back?" His eyes travelled over to Gabriella who had resumed dancing about; thankfully this time she was humming instead of singing at the top of her lungs.

No one had a chance to answer his difficult question because Drewcula chose that moment to show up again. Every girl present, even little floaty Kelsi, and Chad screamed when he shattered the glass in one of the doors, an evil grin stretched across his face.

A hiss escaped through his bared fangs, eventually forming words. "Gabriella, come to me."

Gabriella, who had thrown herself at Troy again, abruptly stood straighter than her drunkenness had allowed her to the whole night. Her arms fell away from Troy and slowly she took a step towards Drew, who beckoned her on further with his finger.

"No!" Troy yelled and grabbed her arm, trying to yank her back at him. The action broke her eye contact with Drew and she slumped over again, back to being intoxicated. Troy positioned himself in front of her, shielding her small, unsteady form from further manipulation. Drew let out a full-bodied laugh at his gesture.

"You think you can stop me, puny blood bag?" he roared. Though fear pulsed through his veins, Troy didn't flinch; he didn't back down.

"I'm not going to let you touch her," he snarled with as much courage as he could muster. Drew laughed again.

Gliding closer, he said, "You would dare challenge me? Me who commanded armies hundreds of years before you were born? Fool!"

Feeling kind of insane but still determined, Troy shot back, "The most you've ever commanded is the school hockey team, which sucks by the way."

Drewcula's eyes flashed and before Troy could see what happened, he was on the floor, his cheek stinging painfully where Drew had struck him. He tasted blood on the inside of his cheek. It hurt something awful, but Troy knew that if he didn't get right back up, Gabriella would have no chance.

As it was, Drewcula was already looming over her while she cowered in a corner and her friends looked on helplessly. Jason and Zeke had attempted to take him out with guns they'd drawn from God-knows-where but now lay on the ground, unconscious. His mind running a mile a minute, Troy tried to come up with a way to get Drew to back off so they could make another daring escape.

_Vampires... what repels vampires? _

He remembered little bits and pieces from horror films he'd watched but nothing very helpful in this instance. Gabriella was sobbing brokenly as Drew grinned again, brandishing his fangs.

_Garlic? None around. Holy water? None of that either. Crucifixes?_

Then it hit him! Troy sprinted the few feet between him and Jason, who was just starting to come around. He looked confused, and kind of like his old self, when Troy grabbed the front of his shirt, tearing the first couple buttons open. On Jason's chest was a small silver cross on a chain. It wasn't much but maybe it would distract Drew for a few seconds, long enough to get Gabriella away from him. Troy hastily ripped it off the chain.

"Hey!" Jason protested, but Troy paid him no attention. He bolted back over to Drewcula, whose fangs were just inches from Gabriella's neck, and jumped up on his back. Before the vampire had time to fling him off, Troy stuffed the little crucifix down his throat. Drewcula cried out in pain as the cross burned his throat and smoke poured from his mouth. Troy let himself down and immediately went to Gabriella's side. They had to act quickly if they hoped to put any distance between themselves and Drew, so he scooped her up bridal style and carted her away, gesturing with his head for the others to follow.

They ran into one of the first rooms they saw, which happened to be the Chemistry Lab, and the boys all worked together to bar the door with a heavy bookshelf. They checked the room for other entrances and found none.

"He was stuuupid!" Gabriella said, leaning against one of the stations to support herself.

Troy, panting from the exertion of running with Gabriella in his arms and moving the shelf, replied, "And another big problem to deal with..."

"What do we do about him? We can't really go anywhere until he's out of the picture," Chad reasoned.

"We could, like, kill him or something. Isn't that what they do in like horror movies and stuff?" Taylor said, looking irritatingly bored as she perched on a lab stool and studied her nails.

"I like that idea. That's probably the smartest thing I've heard her say all night," Troy said, vengeance alight in his eyes.

"Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about..." Chad responded half-heartedly, his conviction wavering slightly when he actually glanced at her.

"No, it's really not," Troy replied.

Chad agreed with a shrug and said, "Anyway, we can't _kill_ Drew. People will be really pissed when everything gets back to normal."

Exhaling, Troy conceded. "You're right."

While no one was watching, Gabriella had managed to lift herself up onto one of the stations and was staggering around on top of it, playing air guitar.

"Whoohooooooo!" she suddenly belted out. She added an amused,"Whooooops!" when she almost fell off.

"That drunken idiot is going to get herself killed before Drew has the chance," Sharpay said without a hint of sympathy.

Glaring in the blond's direction, Troy rushed to the table. "Gabs, come on. Get down from there," he coaxed, holding his arms out.

"Why don't you come up here and get meee?" Gabriella said playfully.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Troy grabbed her legs and lifted her back down to the floor. She made loud noises of protest and to the astonishment of everyone in the room, slapped Troy in the face when he set her down in front of him.

"You're meeean!" she said while he held his reddening cheek.

"That really hurt," Troy said in amazement.

Gabriella, with her drunken mood swings, threw herself at him for a hug. "I'm sooooorry! I looove you!" she replied, her voice muffled because her face was buried in his chest. He patted her awkwardly on the back.

"It's okay, just try not to do it again," Troy said.

She pulled away and said, using a barely discernable form of the actions, "Cross my heart, Misser Bond, sir!"

Out of the blue, Sharpay made a terrible noise of anguish. Everyone's faces blanched as their eyes all snapped to her.

"What!?" Chad asked, very alarmed.

"Look at my dress!" she exclaimed, pointing to a place on the huge skirt. There was a large round stain there. On the counter beside her, a beaker was overturned. "What the hell is this stuff!? Mother is not going to be pleased. She had this hand-crafted for me by one of the best designers in Paris!" She was seconds away from tears.

"Unbelievable! We're in mortal peril and _this_ upsets you?" Chad said. He shook his head and once again put on his famous 'girls.' look. It was getting a lot of use that night.

"Hold on..." Troy said. "You got your outfit in Paris?"

"Yes! I told you that on Monday!" Sharpay snapped.

"You say that as if you believe someone was actually listening," Chad muttered, earning him ocular daggers from Sharpay.

"Chad, where'd you get your costume?" Troy asked, his words running together. He was on a roll.

Chad's face blushed red and he stammered, "I-I already had it... Sometimes me and my brother play war!"

"... Your brother's six," Troy pointed out, momentarily pausing in his revelation.

Taylor cackled from her place next to Chad. "What a loser!"

"I borrowed this suit from my cousin who wore it to his prom last year," Troy told them. He was greeted with entirely blank looks. Sighing, he explained. "Everyone who changed got their costumes from that new costume place. Do you remember? They told us on Monday!"

"Oh yeah, but you couldn't remember when I told you where I'd gotten mine on Monday," Sharpay sulked.

"If we find a way to get downtown to that shop, maybe we can change everyone back," Troy said.

"Great idea," Sharpay said, still bitter and fussing over her dress. "Now how exactly do we get out of this room without getting attacked by King of the Damned out there?"

And they were back to square one.

"Maybe there's something in here we can use..." Troy suggested, leaving Gabriella's side to start searching. Chad, Sharpay and the two Men in Black followed his lead while Taylor trailed after Chad, asking him what some of the stuff they came across was as he tried not to lose his patience with her. Gabriella did some more subtle air guitar moves with her feet planted firmly on the floor and Kelsi simply fluttered above their heads, sprinkling sparks in her wake.

With all of them working together, it took only a couple minutes to look through every nook and cranny in the lab.

"Short of stabbing him through the heart with the flagpole over there, which we've already ruled out as an option, I've got nothing," Chad reported. Similar answers were given all around, barring Gabriella's suggestion that they 'rock him to death', which was politely, by anyone who wasn't Sharpay or Taylor, cast aside.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I really wish the school board had thought to equip our Chem. lab for vampire attacks as well as chemical spills," Troy joked.

He wasn't the only pleasantly surprised person in the room when Kelsi waved her wand and said, "If you wish it, so shall it be." A section of the wall near the barricaded door glowed silver and when this dissipated, there was an emergency case on the wall with the words 'Break Glass In Case of Vampire Attack' printed on the front in bold white font. On closer inspection, the gang found that it held six bottles of holy water, two crucifixes, a wreath of garlic and a wooden stake.

"Whoa, that is too weird," Sharpay gaped.

"Totally," Taylor said.

Chad gazed at Kelsi. "It sucks that we didn't think of that before," he remarked.

"Step back," Troy instructed them, taking off his suit jacket and wrapping it around his fist. "My cousin is going to kill me." With one swift movement, he broke the glass case and made the weapons within accessible.

He grabbed a bottle of holy water and one of the crosses for himself before stepping aside so his friends could arm themselves too. In the end, everyone except Kelsi and Gabriella had a bottle of holy water. Sharpay got the other crucifix because she complained endlessly about the stench of the garlic, which Chad got stuck with. They left the stake where it was to avoid any unhappy accidents.

"So, what's the plan? Are we just going to rush at him?" Sharpay asked sceptically, clutching her cross and holy water in front of her. Clearly the idea terrified her.

"Gabriella's the one he's after so maybe if she distracted him--" Chad began, only to but cut off by a less than thrilled Troy.

"You want to use my girlfriend as bait?" he questioned through clenched teeth. "Think harder."

"Rushing at him it is," Chad relented.

The boys moved the bookshelf back out of the way while the girls huddled together, their differences temporarily forgotten, a few feet from the doorway. Sharpay and Taylor had their holy water, and Sharpay's cross, at the ready.

As soon as the way was clear, Troy cracked open the door, peeking out cautiously. Drewcula was nowhere in sight. He chanced opening the door all the way and still the hallway was free of movement.

"Yeah right, like he'd just leave," Sharpay whispered harshly.

"I've not gone anywhere," came a silky voice from behind her and the other girls.

No one had time to do anything besides scream, which Taylor and Sharpay did very loudly, before Drewcula descended upon the girls. Pushing the other two out of the way, he grabbed Gabriella, lifting her in his arms like a baby. She was listless in his arms, not comprehending the danger she was in.

Drewcula moved so fast that he was nothing more than a blur to the human eye, making it hard to stop him. He almost had Gabriella out the door when a bottle of holy water made contact with his head. Unfortunately there hadn't been enough force behind the throw, which came from a shaky Taylor, to smash it when it collided with his slicked back hair. It bounced off and shattered on the floor. Drew didn't even seem to notice as he disappeared out the door.

Quick on the uptake, Troy yelled the first thing that popped into his head. "Kelsi! I wish I had a motorcycle!"

"If you wish it--"

"Yeah, yeah! Now would be good!" he interrupted and she produced a puff of glitter that became a shiny Harley. "Get to that costume shop!" he called to his friends as he hopped on the bike and sped off after Drewcula and Gabriella.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Chapter IV

TITLE; Halloween (Chapter Four)

AUTHOR; Jessa

RATING/GENRE; K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

FANDOM/PAIRING; High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

SUMMARY; Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

DISCLAIMER; Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

* * *

Manuvering through the school halls, even just for a second was difficult for Troy. He almost lost his query but as soon as he was out the front doors, he spotted them in the distance, just leaving school grounds. He revved the engine and booted it towards them. Pieces of the school lawn flew up in his wake but he only increased his speed. It didn't take long for him to fall in line with the fiend carrying his psuedo-rockstar girlfriend. 

Drewcula looked annoyed with Troy's heroics and strained to gain the lead again, gaining a foot or so of space between his feet and the front wheel of Troy's bike. Although he was wary of the immense speed he was already going, Troy accelerated even further, closing the gap in a matter of seconds.

"I think I'm gonna be siiick," Gabriella whined from somewhere near Drew's chest. The fast pace of her undead transportation was not agreeing with her.

"Hold on, love," Drew said, his sinister voice taking on an eerie gentleness that didn't sit well with Troy. He wasn't loving Drew's usage of the term 'love' either.

Drew tossed a sidelong smirk Troy's way before he crouched in mid-run and jumped into the air. He rose high into up, not getting any faster but creating a lot of space between himself and Troy, who had to remind himself to look where he was going instead of staring at the vampire flying above his head.

"That right there is fucked up," he said to himself, allowing himself to swear on this rare occasion of craziness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the Wildcats had piled into Chad's new car. They had barely closed the doors before Chad peeled away from the curb.

"Which way?!" he called to the passengers in the back, forgetting that none of them were particularly cogent at the moment because of the spell or whatever it was they were under.

"That's classified," Zeke and Jason said in unison, their arms crossed over their chests and calm frowns on their faces.

Chad restrained the urge to beat his forehead off the steering wheel and said, "Taylor?" They were getting closer to the downtown area. He would need some answers in the near very future.

"Ummmmm... I think it's like next to that super cute shoe store... What's it called?" she replied, cracking her gum while she tried to remember. "Galleria Shoes!"

"In boy language please!?" Chad begged.

Sharpay took over. "Across the street from Victoria's Secret!"

"Now you're talkin'," Chad said, unable to resist a grin as he gunned the engine.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was quite the task for Troy to steer a motorbike on the ground and keep an eye on Drewcula in the sky but somehow he managed, for a time anyway. He cursed under his breath when Drew disappeared from view. Skidding to a halt, he scanned the street desperately, eyes peeled for some sign of activity. He was surrounded on all sides by huge warehouses, not the busiest part of town as such. The area was quiet in an unsettling way.

Troy did a double take when he noticed a tiny flash from the side of one of the buildings. It reminded him instantly of cat's eyes; or a vampire's eyes. Not wanting to just fly at Drew, which would only make him run again, Troy pretended to still be looking for him. He jumped off his bike and slowly made his way towards Drewcula's hiding place. He kept up his charade by letting his gaze continue to wander around the street.

His genius tactic was shut down when he was violently grabbed from behind by two sets of strong arms. They took hold of his arms and carried him the rest of the way to the alley where he'd seen the flares. He bucked against their iron grip but any attempt to get free was futile, they were just too strong. One look at them confirmed Troy's suspicions -- they were also vampires and obviously Drewcula's lackeys.

Troy tensed when Drewcula came into view. He was seated comfortably on a crate in the small space between two warehouses, Gabriella lolling around in his lap. Troy's blood boiled as helplessness washed over him. He had to find a way to save her, however, try as he might, his vampires captors were not letting him go any time soon. If only he could get his hands on the holy water and crucifix stowed away in his pocket.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chad screeched to a halt in front of a shop with a sign saying "Ethan's Costume Shop" over the door. Downtown was a madhouse. Even as they all exited the car, monsters flew at them. Zeke and Jason made themselves, and their strange guns, useful and were able to keep most of them at bay. Sharpay turned into a cross-wielding maniac and jabbed it at ANYTHING that came her way, vampire or not. Taylor kept herself situated right behind Zeke, which seemed to vaguely annoy Sharpay, and Kelsi saved herself any trouble by flying safely above the whole scene.

The shop was dark and when Chad tried the door, he found it was regrettably locked.

Stepping aside, he hollered over his shoulder, "Okay, Men in Black, do your thing!"

Jason came running and once again mojoed the door with the special door unlocking device that he and Zeke were carrying around. Standard issue MIB equipment, Chad supposed.

Jason held the door open as they all piled inside. He slammed it shut just in time to keep out a hungry looking werewolf that continued to scratch at the glass and howl long after the door had been dead bolted.

"Hello?" Chad called out. His voice echoed around the dark room. "Is anybody here?"

The group, all huddled together, ventured deeper and deeper into the store. Sharpay gasped when a huge back pentagram surrounded by half-melted candles became visible. It had been hidden in the very back of the store behind some of the old and mustier costumes.

"Oh my god! That bastard did do this!" she said, outraged.

"Excuse me," came a voice from the darkness, interrupting what could have been a long, angry rant from Sharpay. "You're trespassing on private property."

A middle aged man emerged from behind a curtained doorway, perhaps leading to some sort of store room. His appearance was by all accounts ordinary: greying hair, plain button up shirt; although there was a sinister air about him that was hard to place.

"I'm sure the police are a bit too tied up with all the monsters running around to care!" Sharpay huffed. She wasn't intimidated by some old guy who got his kicks by transforming innocent people into demons.

An arrogant smirk lifted up his lips. "You're probably right," he said.

"You turn everyone back, like, right now!" Taylor squeaked from behind Zeke's back.

The man rolled up his sleeves and replied in a tone that was one part mocking and one part disinterested. "And why would I, like, do that?"

Taylor made a small noise of offense but didn't respond.

"I think this man is in need of some convincing, don't you, Jay?" Zeke said, looking at his partner for confirmation.

"I agree, Zee," Jason replied and the two of them stepped forward, seizing Ethan under the arms. They dragged him, as he struggled weakly, past the tacky curtain from which he'd first appeared. A painful thud followed by a groan resounded through the air and Zeke stuck his head out briefly though the curtain.

"Just wait here," he told the others. "This should only take a moment."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - - - - -

Troy was forced to watch while Drew brushed Gabriella's long, wavy hair to the side, leaving her neck bare and exposed -- perfect for his devious intentions.

"Stop! Please!" he shouted, grunting and fighting twice as hard for freedom.

Drewcula spared him a glance, winked cockily and sunk his teeth into Gabriella's smooth neck.

"No!!!!" Troy screamed, his eyes wide with disbelief. This couldn't be happening; he couldn't let Gabriella die right in front of him.

Directly after Drew punctured Gabriella's skin, blood came pumping out. Troy noticed that the vampires keeping him prisoner were losing their grip. When he looked up at them, he saw that they were watching the blood very intently, practically salivating. Troy figured this would be his best opportunity, if he could act incredibly fast. Adrenaline pulsed through his bloodstream, giving him the extra oomph he needed to pull this off.

All in the span of about two seconds, Troy wound his way out of the vampires' clutches, reached into his pockets and hauled out the cross and holy water. Before the demons had time to react, he broke the bottle of holy water on one of their faces, making it impossible for them to do anything but cry out in pain and scrob at his burning eyes, and used the crucifix to beat the other one over the head. While that one was doubled over, more in shock than actual pain, he poked the end of his weapon into its eye. This seemed to actually cause it physical pain and gave Troy the distraction he needed.

Drewcula was oblivious to anything that was happening around him as he savoured the taste of Gabriella's sweet blood.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chad, Sharpay, Kelsi and Taylor had been waiting in high anticipation outside the costume shop's backroom for several moments. Disturbing sounds of anguish and interrogation were coming from behind the curtain but they were trying extremely hard not to imagine what was happening just out of eyeshot.

Finally, Jason and Zeke exited the room, without the company of their spell-casting friend, serene and collected as ever.

"He says there's no way to break the spell once it's been cast," Zeke reported.

"What!?" Sharpay shrieked. "You mean we're stuck in this insaneness forever!?"

Chad was about to despair when a thought occurred to him. "Unless..." he started to say.

"Unless what?! UNLESS WHAT!" Sharpay said, grabbing him and shaking him hysterically.

"Hey Kels," Chad called.

The fairy lowered herself to eye level. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I wish the spell was broken!" Chad blurted out, hoping against all hope that it would yield some results.

Remarkably, Kelsi said, "If you wish it, so shall it be." With a majestic wave of her wand, a flash of light blinded everyone in the room.

"Ow..." Kelsi moaned from the floor. When the spell had worn off, she'd lost the ability of flight and returned to her normal size, bringing her crashing to the ground.

"I do believe we're complete idiots," Sharpay said, blinking her eyes to adjust them to the dark once more.

"For not thinking of that right away? Yeah, we kind of are," Zeke said.

Chad laughed. "Let the records show that I, Chad Danforth, thought of it first!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Troy lost all capacity for reason as he watched Gabriella's blood flow slowly from her body into Drew's mouth; enough so that he was ready to pit himself against Dracula, or East High's sad rendition. Steeling himself against the more reasonable part of himself that told him it was suicide, Troy hefted his handy cross in his hand and charged.

He was about to swing with all his strength when suddenly Drew dropped Gabriella. He stood up and her body spilled to the ground in a heap. A small groan of pain escaped her but she was barely conscious so she couldn't try to get up.

Drew's face was twisted in disgust as he spit and wiped his mouth on his cape.

"What the hell!?" he spat.

Troy eyed him suspiciously. For all he knew, it could be some twisted joke at his expense compliments of a demented vampire king.

"Drew?" he questioned.

One look at Drew's face told Troy he was back to his old self. Gone were his real fangs, which were back to plastic and hanging half out of his mouth. His eyes had also returned to normal, hazel as opposed to red.

"Welcome back," Troy said without much enthusiasm.

He didn't care enough about Drew to baby him; he was more concerned about Gabriella. Kneeling beside her, he cradled her head in his lap and tried in vain to keep her awake. Gradually, she passed out completely. Her head fell to the side and Troy's heart leapt into his throat.

"Don't you dare die on me, Gabriella!" he pleaded, sweeping his fingers along her jaw. "Make yourself useful," Troy snapped at Drew, whipping his cell phone out of his pocket. "Call an ambulance!"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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**Oh noes! Don't worry folks, the final part will be up tomorrow. I won't keep you in suspense that long. ;)**


	6. Epilogue

TITLE; Halloween (Epilogue)

AUTHOR; Jessa

RATING/GENRE; K+ for swearing etc. / Humour, Romance, Fantasy/Supernatural

FANDOM/PAIRING; High School Musical (with mild Buffy the Vampire Slayer x-overness) / Troy/Gabriella and Chad/Taylor with secondary Sharpay/Zeke and Jason/Kelsi

SUMMARY; Ethan Rayne comes to New Mexico to wreak some havoc on Halloween night. Based on the BtVS episode also called "Halloween".

DISCLAIMER; Troy, Gabriella and anything East Highish is (c) Disney. Buffy and the lovely Slayerettes etc. are the awesome product of Joss Whedon & Co., as is the main idea for this fic.

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"Here, let me get that for you," Troy said, letting go of Gabriella's hand and reaching in front of them to open the pudding on her hospital tray. They were both sprawled out side by side on her hospital bed. The single mattress made for a bit of a tight squeeze but neither of them minded in the least. 

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but giggled softly. "I'm fine, Troy! I can still open packages of pudding," she insisted.

"I know," he replied, blushing sweetly. "I just don't want you to over-exert yourself."

"By opening a pudding?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow.

He shrugged and mumbled, "You never know..."

Gabriella smiled and leaned over so she could kiss his cheek.

"If this is the reaction I get, maybe I should get bitten by a vampire more often," she joked. Her hand fluttered up to her neck where a large gauze bandage concealed two deep holes.

Troy froze and almost dropped the cup of pudding, all the blood in his cheeks that had caused his deep blush rapidly draining away. "Okay, not funny."

An apologetic expression took the place of her playful smile and she laid a hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Gabriella didn't remember much of her near death experience, only that Troy had been there through the entire thing. It had really had an effect on him.

He put his much larger hand over her tiny cold one. She was doing much better but was still a bit weak. Her golden skin was a lot paler than usual.

"It's just really hard to think that I almost lost you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Gabriella closed her eyes and leaned into his lips. "Pfft," she replied. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me."

He pulled back, grinning. "Good."

Their intimate moment was suddenly destroyed by the rowdy entrance of all their friends. The door banged open and they came rushing in, headed up by Taylor and Chad.

"Gabster! How're you feeling?" Chad asked, plunking himself down on the bed near hers and Troy's feet.

"Better, Chad. Thanks for asking," she answered with amusement in her voice.

Taylor threw her arms around her friend's neck and hugged her tightly. "That's good," she said.

"Now that you're on the mend, will there be an encore of your famous air-guitar?" Chad asked innocently. Troy nudged him with his foot while Gabriella groaned in embarrassment and yanked the covers over her flushing face.

"Don't mind Chad," Taylor said. "He's just jealous because he didn't get turned into a real soldier." Chad stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend who made a face back at him in retaliation.

"At least I didn't set the world record for use of the word 'like' in one sentence," he muttered.

Taylor grimaced and replied, "If I'd said it one more time and I swear I would've found a way to come out and jab the end of my lip gloss applicator in my eye."

"Tay, I have to tell you, I was seriously considering it," Sharpay chimed in from where she was leaning with Zeke against the wall. Her arm was threaded through his.

"And I wouldn't have held it against you," Taylor said.

Jason stepped up to the edge of Gabriella's bed and handed her a bunch of helium filled balloons. One of them was red and said 'Get Well Soon!" on the side. The rest were white.

"Kelsi and I picked these up for you," he told her with a smile.

Kelsi, who stood next to him, nodded happily. "I hope you like them!"

Gabriella simply glowed. "I love them! Thanks you two."

Troy took them from her so he could tie them to the handle of the drawer in her bedside table.

"Not that I don't enjoy the company, but shouldn't you Wildcats be in school?" Gabriella inquired, letting Troy slip his arm around her when he returned to his previous position.

"Gabs, Gabs, Gabs. Always with the school," Chad said, shaking his head and making his hair go wild.

"They had to shut the school down for a week. A lot of damage was done on Friday night. Vandalism and the like," Taylor informed her.

"That's not fair! I lose a pint of blood and I don't even get to miss any school," Gabriella quipped, pouting comically.

Troy shot her a warning glance and she gave him another peck on the cheek to make amends.

"It's going to take many years of expensive therapy for me to get over that freakish incident, that's for sure," Sharpay said, shuddering for dramatic effect.

"Yes, because you were the one hunted and nearly killed by Dracula... no, wait..." Chad sarcastically replied. Sharpay huffed and cuddled further into Zeke's side.

"We're all lucky to be alive. There was some crazy stuff going on that night, as far as I can remember anyways," Gabriella said.

"Can you really remember anything?" Troy teased. "You were totally sloshed."

Gabriella dug her elbow into his ribs. "At least the experience taught me a valuable lesson about drinking," she said.

"And what's that?" Troy asked, burying his face in her shiny hair.

"Don't," Gabriella replied simply. "Otherwise you make yourself look like an idiot and fall down a lot."

"I think we can safely say you learned that the hard way," Chad interjected.

"And against my will, I might add!" she pointed out.

"What about Drew?" Taylor asked everyone. "Is he okay? I mean, the boy drank human blood."

"Let's just say, I don't think you have to worry about him hitting on you anymore, Gabs," Zeke responded.

"He learned the hard way too," Chad remarked.

Troy relaxed further back into the pillows and said, with an air of undeniable smugness in his tone, "There's nothing to turn you off someone like getting a mouthful of their blood."

"You guys! It wasn't his fault! I can only imagine how messed up he's gotta be right now..." Gabriella chided them.

"Enh, as long as he's not trying to kill you anymore, I'm happy," Troy said.

"I'll bet," Zeke replied. "He really kept you hopping, didn't he?"

"Hopping is a bit too much of a happy-go-lucky term for what he kept me doing," Troy said, scowling.

Chad chuckled and said, "Yeah. Friday night, spell or no, you **were** James Bond, what with your motorcycle and bottles of holy water and all."

"My hero," Gabriella gushed, pinching Troy's cheek gently.

Modest as ever, Troy just stared intently at the pink bedspread and used his free hand to rub the back of his neck while he laughed nervously.

"Whatever," Sharpay said, utilizing her own special version of a segue way. "All I know is that after Friday, I'm reconsidering Troy's approach to Halloween. What's say we never speak of the wretched holiday again? Agreed?"

The vote was unanimous.

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**THE END.**

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I finally finished a multi-chaptered fic on my own!! YAY! I had so much effin' fun writing this and hope you had as much fun reading it. The whole thing just came to me so naturally I couldn't help but write it out. Please review; it would mean the world to me. Love you all! xoJessa. 


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